The Message, January 12, 2025: "Come to the Water," Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
January 14, 2025

 

“Come to the Water”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

            We’re back!

            You may recall that over the course of the last several weeks, I have noted that the framers of the lectionary had us jumping all over the place during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. And if you will bear with me for a few moments … let us recount that journey:

            We began at the end of Jesus’ life and ministry with his teaching that the New Age would be ushered in with sings and wonders in the heavens and cataclysmic events here on earth.

            Then we went back to the arrival of John the Baptist as he emerged from the wilderness to prepare the way for the One that was coming after him.

            Then, we celebrated our Christmas Pageant, and our introduction to that was the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (12:6)

            And then we travelled with Mary as she made her journey from Nazareth to her cousin, Elizabeth’s, house in the foothills of Judea.

            Hold on, we are almost there …

            Two days later we gathered here and celebrated Christmas Eve … the birth of the Holy One of Israel!

            And last week, we carried our gifts and treasures as we accompanied the Magi as they made their way to Bethlehem to pay homage to the Christ Child.

            This morning, we rejoin John on the banks of the River Jordan. We have come full circle as we now celebrate “Baptism of the Lord” Sunday. It has been quite a journey!

            But now, let me ask you … did you notice anything interesting about our Gospel lesson for this morning? On this “Baptism of the Lord” Sunday, Luke barely mentions the baptism of our Lord!

            Luke was a very skilled storyteller. He, more than any of the other Gospel writers, did a very thorough job setting the scene for the arrival and the ministry of Jesus Christ. He told us about Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. He told us about the Angel Gabriel’s visit with Zechariah telling him about the birth of John even though Elizabeth was of advanced age. He told us about Gabriel’s visit with Mary, and the news that she too would bear a miraculous child. He told us about Mary’s visit with Elizabeth. He told us about the birth of John, and shared Zechariah’s song. In the same way that John came to ‘prepare the way,’ Luke too prepared us for this moment.

            Luke prepared us in the same way that John prepared those who flocked to him to be baptized. And since Luke made scant mention of the actual baptism of Jesus, he clearly wants us to focus upon the events leading up to it and those that followed.

            As we touched upon a few weeks ago, John prepared the Way for Jesus by offering the people a baptism of repentance. In the ancient Hebrew tradition, there was a practice of baptism … a purification or cleansing … for those who wished to convert to the Jewish faith. But that was not the baptism that John was offering. He was preaching to people who had already accepted the faith. He was preaching to people that believed that since they were the descendants of Abraham, they were good. He was preaching to people that believed that they already had their entrance into God’s Kingdom secured. John told them that that was not the case.

            The baptism of repentance was not a performative of perfunctory dip in the water on the way to salvation. No, John told the people that repentance requires a genuine change of heart. Repentance literally means ‘to turn toward.’ John was preparing the people for the arrival of the One who was to come by telling them that they needed to change their hearts, they needed to direct their hearts toward God.

            No more thinking that one could simply fall back on their Abrahamic heritage.
            No more thinking that an, “Oops, I am sorry God,” was good enough if it was not accompanied by a genuine change of attitude and behavior.
            No more thinking that one could just wade in the water … tiptoe in up to their ankles … their knees … or their waist. The baptism of repentance was a whole-body experience. It was a whole soul baptism.

            And the people asked John, “What should we do? How should we live?”

            John’s reply sounded familiar, “Be generous. Be gentle. If you have two coats, give one to someone who needs it. If you have plenty of food, give some to someone who is lacking food. If you are a tax collector, be fair in your business practices. If you are a soldier, do not use your position to extort money or to threaten people. Turn and direct yourselves toward God’s Way.”

            Then, we finally arrive at our passage for this morning. The people were inspired by John, captivated by his message. They flocked to him to be baptized. Clearly there were those among them that believed that he was the One, that he was their messiah. They had been waiting for so long for the one who was coming to set them free. It had been generations since that had heard a single word from the prophets. It was clear to many there that John must be the one that they had been waiting for.

            But he said to them: “No. I am not the One. No, I am not your messiah. He is coming. He is right behind me, I promise. This baptism that I offer, this is baptism with water. Look at yourselves, you are still dripping. This baptism prepares you for the one that He offers. This baptism prepares your hearts. Before you stepped into this water, you had to make the decision to change your hearts. You turned your hearts toward the Lord our God. You raised up the low places within your souls. That was all you.

            “But when He comes, He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. He will baptize with wind and fire. He … the One … is coming, and he will be BOTH judge and savior. He will offer you freedom. He will gather you in and offer God’s peace. And he will also bring God’s justice. He will name evil where he sees it, and He will confront that evil.”

            John prepared the way for Jesus, and he did not mince his words. He made it very clear, “Direct your hearts and souls toward God. Follow God’s Way. Offer God’s love and generosity. And if you do not … if you continue to pursue the ways of selfishness and arrogance and greed … you will be like the chaff that is blown away in the wind. You will live lives without consequence.”

            The words of John remind me of the prayer of the psalmist:
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your Presence, O God,
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12)

            Then, after all the people had been baptized, Jesus was baptized as well. And while he was praying, “the heavens opened up.”

            This was an event that would have spoken to the people gathered there at the riverbank. This was a phrase that would have been familiar to those who heard or read Luke’s Gospel. The ancient Hebrews believed that when the heavens were closed, God’s blessings ceased to flow. Famine and drought and disease were believed to the result of God closing the heavens. However, when heaven was open, blessings flow forth from God.

            As Jesus prayed, the heavens opened, and blessings flowed forth. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove … softly and tenderly. And then came the Voice from Heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” There is no blessing more precious than that.

            When Jesus was praying, when Jesus was speaking to God and listening to God, he heard God’s Voice, “You are my Son, the Beloved.”

            All these centuries later, we hear that the blessing is available to us as well. It is not a prize that we win, or a reward that we earn because we decided to jump into the waters of baptism. It is a relationship that we realize when we turn ourselves toward God. God is always there. God is always loving. God is waiting …

            John … and Jesus … invite us to turn our lives, turn our hearts, turn our souls toward God. Turn away from the things of this world. Turn away from the things that obscure our vision of God. Turn away from the things that block our ears. Turn away from the things that clutter our lives and push God to the margins. Turn away from things that damage relationships. Turn away from selfishness and pettiness. Turn away from arrogance and sinful pride. Turn away from anger and fear. Turn away …

            And turn toward beauty. Turn toward love. Turn toward gentleness and kindness. Turn toward generosity. Turn toward grace and forgiveness. Turn toward fairness and justice. Turn toward God.

            Because when you do, you will hear those beautiful words that God has been saying … “You are my Child, my Beloved. I have been waiting for you.”

            When Jesus shared the Beatitudes not too long after his baptism, he will say to those gathered there, “Blessed are those …” or “Happy are those …” That blessedness and happiness are not some far in the future reward, they were available then, and they are available here and now.

            Blessed are those who turn themselves toward God.
            Blessed are those whose souls are directed toward God.
            Blessed are those who speak to God and listen to God.
            For they will hear God’s sweet, sweet Voice say to them, “You are my Child, my Beloved.”

            Jesus was not baptized by John because he needed to be forgiven. He was baptized by John to show us the Way toward relationship with God.

            When we turn ourselves … our lives … our hearts … our souls toward God, the heavens open to us and the blessings flow forth. We hear God’s Voice, “You are my Child, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

            Blessed are we. Amen.

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